Paul Ruggieri, MD

Paul Ruggieri is a general surgeon and author of Confessions of a Surgeon: A Deeper Cut.

Health care for profit: How corporate pressures threaten independent medical practices

May 11, 2023May 11, 2023

An excerpt from Confessions of a Surgeon: A Deeper Cut. He screwed us over. I slowly sank deeper into my chair, attempting to digest the letter my group had received from the local hospital CEO. "Thank you for your group's…

An excerpt from Confessions of a Surgeon: A Deeper Cut.

He screwed us over. I slowly sank deeper into my chair, attempting to digest the letter my group had received from the local hospital CEO. “Thank you for your group’s interest in our hospital. I appreciate your long-standing dedication to the care of our patients. However, our organization has decided to go in a different direction. I wish your practice …

Physician

Deciphering hospital bills is not for the faint of heart

Paul Ruggieri, MD

August 30, 2014Aug 30, 2014

An excerpt from The Cost of Cutting: A Surgeon Reveals the Truth Behind a Multibillion-Dollar Industry. Deciphering the hieroglyphics of hospital bills, especially when it involves surgery, is not a job for the faint of heart. As Mr. Wilkes discovered…

An excerpt from The Cost of Cutting: A Surgeon Reveals the Truth Behind a Multibillion-Dollar Industry.

Deciphering the hieroglyphics of hospital bills, especially when it involves surgery, is not a job for the faint of heart. As Mr. Wilkes discovered when comparing notes with a friend, there’s another puzzle: the huge variation in charges between hospitals and surgi‐centers for the same operation. For surgeons, too, trying to figure …

Physician

Make an informed judgment on the abilities of your surgeon

Paul Ruggieri, MD

December 23, 2011Dec 23, 2011

How many of the 40 million plus patients undergoing an operation this year are truly informed of their surgeon’s track record? I suspect the vast majority of patients entering the operating room today are unaware of existing, vital information that…

Most patients who end up in a surgeon’s office are there because their primary care physician …